There’s No Need to Be the Alpha Dog

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Last night when taking our dogs for a walk, I saw another two dog owners and their two dogs. Casually chatting, the dog owner with his older Beagle said, “Cooper gets this way when he wants to dominate me.”

This guy would do anything for Cooper, and is by all accounts as kind and gentle as pet parents can be.

In a recent Facebook live I hosted, Laura Monaco Torelli demonstrates positive reinforcement, and how fast dogs can learn when motivated to do so

In this instance, I was able to easily convince him that our dogs don’t wake up in the morning scheming to dominate us if we don’t take the initiative to dominate them.

Yes, dogs are related to wolves, and evolved from a wolf species (now, long extinct) but actually dogs evolved with us.

Science Anyone?

So, if common sense doesn’t win the argument, how about science?

Positive reinforcement puppy classes do keep dogs in homes

For me, the most compelling study I’ve seen is when veterinary behaviorist Dr. Theresa DePorter, based in Bloomfield Hills, MI, looked at a local dog trainer who used aversive training methods in his puppy classes. After one year, 38 percent of the puppy class grads were re-homed, surrendered or euthanized.

It gets worse, after two years, 60 percent of dogs were re-homed, surrendered or euthanized.

DePorter then convinced that same trainer to offer positive reinforcement classes, and instructed him on how to do so. The five weekly in-hospital puppy socialization classes were for pups ages seven to 12 weeks. This wasn’t a typical tiny study of a pawful of dogs; she followed 519 puppies for a year. And one year later, 94 percent of dogs remained in homes, compared to aversive training which over a third of puppies were re-homed, surrendered or euthanized a year later.

The better the relationship a military working dog has with the handler, the greater the odds they both live

Need more? Only a few studies have analyzed training methods used on military working dogs (MWD). A 2008 survey of 303 Belgian MWD handlers revealed the use of harsh training methods were not as effective as positive reinforcement, and may even present a welfare issues. Pulling on the leash and hanging dogs by their collars were the most commonly used aversive stimuli. The team’s performance was influenced by the training method and by the dogs’ concentration: (1) low-performance dogs received more aversive stimuli than high-performance dogs; (2) dog’s distraction influenced the performance; distracted dogs performed less well.

And positive reinforcement seemed to positively impact the relationship and the bond with the handler, which for handlers and their MWD can mean the difference between life and death.

What Does the Public Know

Dr, Bekoff’s most recent book

In his blog for Psychology Today, Dr. Marc Bekoff nails it when he writes, “Research has shown many dog owners do not reach out to professionals for advice on dog training methodology. Even if they do reach out to dog trainers, the profession is unregulated, and many trainers are still using and promoting outdated methods. In addition, cultural factors such as family history or celebrity trainers influence how owners interact with their dogs. The evidence on negative welfare and behavioral consequences of training dogs using aversive tools and methods is relatively recent, and it may take time for the general public to become aware of the risks.”

Dog Dudes removed videos presumably for a reason

Very few truly educated dog trainers support the notion of aversive training. Still, as Beckoff says, since the profession is unregulated (some are working to change that), how does the public know?

The videos I posted told the story. Both videos posted in my blog post have now been removed from YouTube (by the Dog Dudes or their production company). Coincidence? I called for readers to take action, and people did just that. And now the evidence of their methods – at least in these videos – is gone. Though, luckily I screened shot some images, which can be seen here.

There’s lots of other documentation of studies that support the contention that positive reinforcement is not only a more effective way to teach our pets, but it’s also what they deserve. After all, our dogs are supposed to be our best friends. Why would you even want an adversarial relationship?

Videos

I’ve done many videos to support positive reinforcement training. Here are only a few:

This video features a conversation with legendary applied animal behaviorist Patrica McConnell:

Here, I talk with dog trainer Kelly Gorman Dunbar about the alpha notion and training your dog like a wolf – or at least we attempt to make sense of that nonsensical notion:

In this video, Anna and our dog Hazel help me out:

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So, Who is Steve Dale?

Steve Dale is a certified animal behavior specialist who has been a trusted voice in the world of pet health for over 20 years. You have likely heard him on the radio, read him in print and online, and seen him speaking at events all over the world. His contributions to advancing pet wellness have earned him many an award and recognition around the globe.